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Inductive Bible Study ~ Philippians 1:1-11

I recently started following a new way of reading the Bible!  You are going to have to bear with me, because I am new to this way of doing it myself, but I wanted to share, because as I was getting started with it I discovered that there were very few resources to help people like you and I through this!

Tons of resources for the Bible scholar, but very limited hands-on break downs of this observe-interpret-apply process for people like you and me!

I started this pattern while putting together our study plan for my Women's Bible Study this spring!  ((Speaking of...do you know that the church of Philippi began as something similar to a small women's Bible study?!?!)) Of course, I had a few resources to help me, including Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin, my brother, Caleb Creel, who recently graduated from seminary, and the timeless commentary by Matthew Henry.

So what am I doing exactly?  This is the exact activity we did in Bible Study yesterday and I plan to expound in this in the weeks to come for you!


Philippians 1: 1-11
Print the worksheet here!
Extra Space to write in Worksheet!

“When you open God’s Word, expect to meet with Him and to learn something about Him. Expect to find more of who He is and what He wants you to be like. In a wonderful way you’ll grow to understand God and His ways if you are open to being changed by what you find in the Scriptures."
    1. Pray over the text (Philippians 1:1-11)
      1. Each day as you begin reading, open your heart to the teaching of the Holy Spirit; ask Him to give you understanding and to help you think and act in God’s way.
    2. Observe
      1. Read each paragraph and give it a title
      2. Look for connections between the paragraphs. Look for a few connections, such as repeated words, similarities, contrasts, cause and effect. What significance or meaning do you find in each of these connections? Jot down the meanings.
      3. What is the main thing going on this passage? In other words, what is the central truth this passage is teaching? Write that truth in a sentence.
    3. Interpret
      1. What did the people of Philippi think as this portion of the letter was read to them?  
      2. What themes in this text remind us of other things we learned in the Bible?
      3. What does this text tell us about God? Man? Creation?
    4. Apply
      1. Is there a teaching to be learned and followed?
      2. In what way does this passage train us to be righteous?
      3. What must I change?

 *Do not merely approach the Word of God as information to be learned, but as life changing truth meant to transform us.
*We cannot study the God of the Bible through the pages of the Bible without response.








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